Nightmare Or Fantasy?
by solitaryloner
Summary: Dead men should stay dead. But no, one of the restless dead insists on reaching beyond the grave, haunting Miku's dreams. Was he really dead, as her own eyes insisted, or did he somehow come back? Was Miku living a nightmare or fantasy? Sometimes, it seems like a nightmare, a terrifying nightmare. And at other times, it seems like a fantasy, an unbelievable fantasy. SeeWooXMiku.
1. Chapter 1

His smile was wicked, and he leant over her, his blue-grey eyes narrowed down at her. She was scared. A little excited, but still scared, so scared. His breath washed over her face, and it wasn't just cool - it was frigid. He scared her.

_And I drag you into my nightmare...keep running and running, but you'll never get out. I'm a dream, nothing but a dream. A closed door, a locked door, you can't get out. I'm a nightmare, this nightmare you can't escape from. I want to see your scared face, looking back up at me._

''Keep trying to get away,'' he whispered, his fingers trailing though her long hair. She gasped, scrambling back, trying to avoid his searching fingers. There was a look of both terror and intrigue on her lovely face, and he smirked, satisfied.

''You're nothing but a nightmare,'' she forced through her lips. ''You died. I know you died. I saw you die. How can you be here, now? What...what's going on?'' she flinched back from him. He tilted his head.

''How can you be so sure that I died?'' he smiled sweetly. ''Maybe I'm a nightmare. Maybe I'm someone else's fantasy. I haven't done anything to you yet - why would you think of me as a nightmare?'' his eyes narrowed down at her. ''A guilty conscience, then?''

She gasped, shaking her head frantically. ''I didn't do anything. I swear I didn't,'' she looked so terrified, he actually felt a little sorry for this poor girl. His fingers reached up, wrapping slowly around her slender neck.

It was so fragile, so easily snapped. He could twist her head and end her life, if he so wanted - it would be so easy to do so. So effortless. ''Are you scared of me, little precious?'' he breathed, watching her for her reaction.

''You're not real,'' she whispered, almost to herself, her eyes wide, pupils dilated with fear. ''You're nothing but a nightmare,'' she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block his grinning image out. ''Leave me alone. Please. I beg you.''

''But I don't want to,'' he sighed, his tongue flicking out lightly to run against her cheek. ''You interest me, human girl. I've never seen someone who can...see me before. It's strange, you know?'' he mused.

''Because you're supposed to be dead?'' she gasped out, then shut her mouth, clearly wondering whether she had said the wrong thing. He smirked down at her.

''What's your definition of 'dead', precious?'' he asked softly, voice a low murmur. _Keep running and running...you know you can't leave, you know you can't get out of this nightmare. Are you frightened of what lies in the dark? Don't be scared - everyone hates the dark, too._

''When you can't breathe, you die. You can't think, you can't walk, you can't talk...you don't do anything. You don't exist, and that makes you dead,'' she muttered, eyes still closed.

''Yet, I'm still here,'' he ran his fingers lightly across her upper arms, enjoying the way she trembled beneath him. ''You can hear me, you can see me, you can talk to me. Does that mean I exist? Or does that mean that you're dead too, my little precious?''

''I'm not dead,'' she inhaled, a sharp breath. ''Let me out of here,'' she said softly, her voice almost pleading. ''Why are you here? You're not alive. You _can't _possibly be alive,'' she mumbled, sounding confused.

He smiled at her ignorance. ''Why are you so sure that I'm dead, precious?'' he crooned. ''What makes you think that I'm a nightmare?''

''You...'' she shook her head slowly. ''I saw you die, SeeWoo. I know you died. I saw everything, at the scene - how can you possibly be here? Why are you in my nightmare?''

He lost his smile. ''I'm not SeeWoo anymore,'' he said emptily. ''That's no longer who I am. SeeWoo died, a long time ago. _He _was the one who died, not I.''

''If you're not SeeWoo...but you look just like him,'' the girl shut her eyes, terrified. ''If you're not SeeWoo, then who are you?''

''I'm SeeWoo,'' he answered, confusing the girl. ''I'm both SeeWoo, and not SeeWoo. And let me tell you something, Miku,'' his breath grazed her ear, ''I'm far from dead. Quite far from dead. Eyes always play tricks on you, you know.''

''But they pronounced you dead on scene,'' Miku whispered. ''Why are you haunting me, SeeWoo? I didn't do anything. I had no hand in your death. I don't know who was the one who killed you. Please. Leave me alone.''

''I'm not interested in revenge,'' his blue-grey eyes narrowed once more. ''We both know who my killer was, Miku,'' he continued in that same, dead tone. ''I'm coming back,'' he continued, eyes distant. ''You think this nightmare is bad, Miku? I'll make you suffer through worse. There will be more to come, precious - don't believe for a moment that I'll do anything else.''

He disappeared, and Miku shot awake, panting. Her eyes searched the darkened room wildly, searching for a trace of the dead boy. She didn't see anything, and nervous she huddled up into a ball on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes flicked back and forth.

SeeWoo was supposed to be dead. But he had come to her dreams, over and over again. Always a nightmare, and she never could run away, no matter how much she tried. She kept trying to escape, but he didn't let her.

He stood back and laughed as she tried to leave him. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't leave. She wanted to wake up from her nightmares, but he never let her - not until he grew tired of torturing her.

SeeWoo was supposed to be dead. He was not supposed to be in her nightmares, talking to her. She would understand if she was remembering SeeWoo before his death - but this was different. He was different.

This SeeWoo spoke to her in a way he never had, before. He was cruel, taunting - the SeeWoo she knew was kind and sweet. Most of all, he spoke of things she didn't understand, things that she had never spoken to him about before. These dreams were not memories. They were something else, and she hated them. She hated these...nightmares. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? How could the dead create nightmares, how could they speak?

He had SeeWoo's face, but he wasn't SeeWoo. SeeWoo wasn't so cold, wasn't so sadistic. He comforted her. He wasn't a nightmare. He wasn't unattainable, forever out of reach - most of all, he didn't threaten her, the way this SeeWoo did. Who was he?

Who was the person who looked like SeeWoo, in her dreams? Still the same ash-blonde hair, the same blue-grey eyes. The same confidence, the same aura of mystery - but gone was the kindness, replaced by a cool detachment and sadism. There was a cruel light in his blue-grey eyes that she had never seen before.

SeeWoo scared her. She never would have thought that he would ever scare her. But she admitted it - SeeWoo now terrified her. He blamed her for his death, his tragic death just a few weeks ago. He had jumped to his death, from the thirteenth storey of a building.

She had seen him jump. She hadn't done anything to stop him, either. She had stood there and watched as he jumped, and she hadn't reacted as his body hit the ground, right next to her. She hadn't even flinched.

She knew he had seen her. She knew he knew that she had seen him, poised, ready to leap off the building. She had known that he was suicidal, that this wasn't some kind of joke, but she hadn't done anything to stop him. He blamed her for his death.

If she had asked him not to jump, he wouldn't have, and she knew it. But she hadn't said anything, and the last emotion she had seen in his eyes was a look of hurt. Of betrayal.

His dead body on the ground hadn't snapped her out of her daze, his ash-blonde hair covered in blood, that blood dripping all over his face...it was only when others stumbled across the scene that she had snapped out of her shock.

She had begun to scream, and she had screamed her voice hoarse. That had been a few weeks ago - two, maybe?

And now, he was haunting her dreams...he was creating her nightmares.


	2. Chapter 2

Miku didn't want to go back to sleep. The moon peeked in from behind the curtains of her window, and she was certain that _he _would return - that he would come back to haunt her nightmares again, as he always did. And she didn't want to have to face him again.

No matter how hard she struggled against sleep though, waves of drowsiness kept filling her, the dark allure of dreams beckoning to her, dragging her to unconsciousness even as she dug in her heels, struggling against the pull. Eventually, she succumbed, her eyes closing as she sank into the darkness.

And he was back. His smile was still that mix of politeness and maliciousness, and he stood before her, his arms folded in front of his chest. ''Did you miss me?'' he crooned as she stared at him, breath frozen in fear. ''Because I missed you, you know,'' hands covered her eyes, turning her world black. ''Keep running,'' he whispered, cold breath against her skin.

Goosebumps. She flinched, and he laughed, a low sound. He was behind her, his hands still covering her eyes. ''When you take off the blindfold, there are no more pleasant dreams,'' he whispered. ''Won't you keep trying to escape this nightmare, sweet?''

''What do you want from me?'' she gasped out. ''I had no hand in your death, and torturing me like this won't bring you back to life either. You were the one who chose to take your own life, SeeWoo. There's no use blaming me for it.''

''On the contrary...'' his voice trailed off, and then he removed his hands from her eyes. Instantly she fled from him, though she knew it was useless, pointless - he would find her and catch up with her, no matter where she hid, no matter how fast she ran.

She couldn't see. Everything was dark, a dull, monochrome black and white. Her breath caught as she tripped over something, what it was she couldn't tell, and instantly her arms reached out, trying to break her fall.

Fingers wrapped around her outstretched wrist, and SeeWoo yanked her back up to him, his lips tilted up into a mocking smile. She cried out in pain as his fingers tightened around her wrist - those fingers were painfully strong.

''You can't do anything without me, can you?'' he crooned, a dark whisper. She flinched again, turning her head away as he smirked at her, accusation still stark in his hypnotising eyes. In the monochrome world she was stuck in with him, he was the only splash of colour, with his ash-blonde hair and narrowed blue-grey eyes.

''I wasn't the one who killed you,'' she whispered once more, repeating what she believed. At that, his eyes glazed over, becoming like twin frozen lakes, frigid as winter. His teeth bared slightly, into a snarl.

''But you had a hand in it,'' he hissed, and then abruptly he let go of her wrist. Still with that mocking smirk on his face, he shoved her, making her stumble and fall, onto the ground, and then he disappeared. She hit the ground hard, trying not to cry out from the pain.

Wincing, she rubbed at the wrist he had gripped. There were faint bruises there, he had held her so hard, and she felt her lips set into a faint scowl. Her eyes flicked back and forth, waiting for his return - for he would. Return, that was. He enjoyed making her suffer.

She didn't have to wait long. From behind her, fingers ran through her long hair, dragging down her scalp, making her shudder. He leant down behind her, his breath brushing her cheek lightly. ''I'm sorry for what just happened,'' he breathed, and she stiffened in suspicion.

''What trick is this, SeeWoo?'' she spat, though her heart was thudding rapidly in her chest. SeeWoo of her nightmares never apologised. He didn't believe in apologising, he didn't believe that he was doing anything wrong. He blamed her for his death, and he considered all this a form of revenge - he didn't ever say sorry.

''No trick,'' he murmured, kneeling on the ground behind her, and she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. She was close enough to him that she could feel his warmth - warmth? He was cold. SeeWoo, in her nightmares, was supposed to be cold. What...was going on?

His fingers tilted her head, making her turn to face him, and then before she could react his lips covered hers, hungrily. She froze, unsure what was going on. Unsure how she ought to react. Should she push him away?

Or...was this the old SeeWoo? The one she had known before his death, the one she had once loved? The one she had loved until _he _had left her alone? The one she still loved, even after he had gone, even after his death?

No, he wasn't that SeeWoo either. That SeeWoo was shy and sweet. This one was seductive and sure - he knew exactly what he was doing, as he explored her mouth with his tongue. The old SeeWoo had been too shy to ever do anything like this. He didn't even dare to hold her hand without permission - let alone kiss her like this. Kiss her so...possessively.

And wasn't the SeeWoo in her dreams supposed to hate her? Supposed to blame her for causing his death? Confused, she shoved him away from her, scrambling back. He grinned at her, his handsome face just as she remembered - ash-blonde hair, mesmerising blue-grey eyes.

That cocky smile, though, wasn't familiar. Not at all. His smile had been sweet and endearing. This wasn't...this wasn't the SeeWoo she had once known. It wasn't SeeWoo before his death, nor was it the SeeWoo she had come to know through her nightmares. A new person, then? Another warped version of him?

What did SeeWoo want with her now? Why did he keep showing up in her dreams? Dead men should stay dead - why did he reach beyond the grave, trying to get to her? Haunting every single one of her dreams? Ever since his death, all her dreams had changed to nightmares, nightmares featuring his malicious smile and baleful glare - like he wanted revenge.

She shuddered. He couldn't be alive. She had witnessed his death, first-hand - she had attended his funeral, seen his dead body in the casket, with her own two eyes. And there were no such things as ghosts. When people died, they died. There was no coming back.

''How are you haunting my dreams? Why won't you leave me alone? You're supposed to be dead. You're...not supposed to be here.''

That arrogant smile turned bitter. ''You'd love nothing better than for me to disappear from your sight forever, isn't that so?'' he asked, voice soft. ''And that makes me want to continue haunting you, tormenting you - all the more. And at the same time...'' he disappeared, and she whirled around, looking for him.

''I can't forget how much I used to desire you,'' he whispered from behind her, and she stiffened. ''Can you remember that, Miku? Can you remember how much we used to love each other?'' his fingers slid slowly down her arms, and she shivered.

_I'm a fantasy. An open door, and you can put anything through me, anything you like. Most people are idiots who don't believe in things that aren't real - but I'm a fantasy. A little dream, a perfect fantasy just for you._

His cool breath washed against her ear. ''I'm an open door,'' he breathed. ''Put anything you like through me. I'm a fantasy...your fantasy, if you will,'' he ended with a low chuckle.

''Or I could be a locked door,'' his voice changed, becoming colder, harsher. This time, he murmured into her other ear, making her feel faintly dizzy. ''You can't run away, you can't escape from me. I'm a nightmare...your very own personal nightmare.''

''I don't want either,'' she swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. ''I don't want to be haunted by someone who no longer exists. I don't want to be reminded of the past anymore.''

''How can that happen, Miku?'' he laughed wickedly. ''You're someone burdened by all the _sins _of your past - you drag your feet, your memories made heavy by what you remember. What you cannot forget. Because you're _guilty,_'' his teeth grazed her earlobe.

''I'm not guilty of anything other than having the misfortune to ever know you,'' she breathed, feeling faintly heady. SeeWoo laughed again, a dark laugh which reminded her of how different he had become - that he was no longer the SeeWoo of old. The one she had yearned for.

''We'll see about that,'' he hissed icily. His fingers fisted in her hair, wrenching sharply, making her cry out. His lips met hers, and it confused her for, though his grip was hard, his kiss was soft, and the conflicting feelings tore her in different directions.

Hatred. Affection. Both were one and the same, two sides of the same coin. And those dual sides were manifested in SeeWoo, in his behaviour. He withdrew, and she stared at him. His gaze was hooded, and by the tensing of his mouth she knew he was angry.

At himself? At her? She didn't know what to think of SeeWoo anymore - she didn't know how he thought. She couldn't guess.

His eyes flicked up to hers. ''Wake up.'' With that, he faded away, into the darkness. For once, she wanted to stay, to ask him more questions - but she couldn't find him. She screamed his name into the black surrounding her, but received no response.

And she woke up, breathing heavily, confused over what he wanted. Over what _she _herself wanted. A nightmare? A fantasy? Did she want neither, or did she want both?


	3. Chapter 3

_**Solitaryloner: **I won't mention which country Miku moves to because I want to make it seem like this story could have happened anywhere - whether in Korea or England or America. Not naming any countries or states also makes it easier since I won't have to write in any other language besides English, so it's also less troublesome...I'm just lazy._

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Miku glanced around one last time just before she entered the plane. Her parents were already inside the plane, and she looked forward to leaving this place...this place with all of her old memories and haunted nightmares.

Then again, if they hadn't decided to migrate out of the country in the first place, perhaps all of this wouldn't have happened. This migration was the reason why she had wanted to break up with SeeWoo in the first place - she knew both of them well enough to know that they would never last through a long-distance relationship. They weren't...determined enough to make it last. It was a selfish love.

Her love for SeeWoo had been selfish, even though his hadn't been. She had wanted him all to herself, as a little trophy prize of sorts. After all, SeeWoo had been widely regarded as the most good-looking guy in their school...and she had loved all the fame and popularity being his girlfriend had brought her.

At the time, she hadn't known. It was only after his death, only after he started mocking her in her nightmares, did she realise exactly how selfish and self-indulgent she had been. And did she regret it? She honestly couldn't say - Miku was far from perfect, and she knew that.

She did feel guilty, but she was sure that his death hadn't been her fault. He had been devastated when she had told him she wanted a clean break. She and her family were migrating in a month, and she knew that a long-distance relationship wouldn't last.

SeeWoo had been known as cool and suave, in their school. Underneath that, though, he was sensitive and shy. He hadn't dared to do anything besides holding her hand and kissing her cheek, not without asking if she minded anything else first. The way he behaved had been adorable, and she had loved the way he was so shy and considerate.

She hadn't expected him to get so torn-up over her though. He had truly loved her, she knew - loved her enough to jump off a building, when he had heard that she wanted to leave him. Maybe part of his death was her fault - but SeeWoo shouldn't have blamed the whole episode totally on her.

And now, when he returned to her dreams, haunting her every night, he was no longer the sweet, thoughtful boy she had once known. He was cold and sadistic - and he blamed her for his death. He was a stranger to her, now.

Yet, the other side of him which had appeared last night...it hadn't been the cruel stranger she had come to know. He was passionate, and he knew exactly what he wanted - nothing like the SeeWoo she had known before his death. She wasn't sure which side of him was the real him, but she knew that she hated the way he returned each night, and the way he absolutely refused to leave her alone.

Dead men should stay dead. She felt guilty over his death - he had died for her, and she hadn't done anything to stop him from killing himself, even though she had known that he had been really suicidal. That it hadn't been a joke.

But the guilt...was that why she kept dreaming of SeeWoo coming back to haunt her? Because SeeWoo wasn't cruel or hurtful. He was nice. Gentle and sweet. That was the only explanation she could come up with - that her guilt had somehow warped her memories of SeeWoo, making her dreams dark and twisted. Making him cold and hateful, making the SeeWoo of her dreams blame her for his death. All because of her hateful guilt.

Miku sighed and shook her head, finding her seat. It was a separate seat from her parents, and she settled in the comfortable plush chair, closing her eyes in tiredness. It was good that she was leaving this place. She could finally get away from here...she could finally escape the place where SeeWoo had died. The place where so many memories haunted her.

''Would you like a drink?'' an air stewardess asked her as she passed by, pushing on a trolley filled with all manners of drinks - fizzy drinks, tea, coffee, juice, even wines. Miku asked for some leek juice, and the air stewardess poured it out for her, smiling. Miku took the glass of juice, eager.

She loved leek juice. And leeks, in general. Leeks were fantastic - all crunchy and crisp and juicy. What better food could there be? She glanced at her watch, then out of the window - she was in a single seat, next to both window and aisle, and she rather liked her spot. The air plane was supposed to take off in ten minutes, so she took a book out of her carry-on luggage and began to read.

She scarcely noticed when the plane began preparing for take-off, never taking her eyes off the pages when she absently reached down to fasten her seatbelt. It was a good book - she liked it. A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket. She was currently reading the last book in the series, The End. Yes, it really was called such a name. The End.

Though it was a book meant for children, Miku liked it. It had a darker twist to it, underneath the children's stories - it was an unexpected tale, one meant to both entertain and confuse. Just like her nightmares...

Miku realised she needed the toilet. Unfastening her seatbelt, she made her way down the aisle to the toilet, which was in the next cabin. As she walked down the aisle, she saw a flash of ash-blonde hair, and she froze, her heart in her throat. She turned to stare at the person.

It wasn't SeeWoo - it was just someone who shared the same coloured hair. She exhaled in relief, continuing on her way. She was being paranoid - the dead couldn't come back to life, could they? She was just feeling guilty about his death, guilty enough to start seeing him wherever she went. It didn't mean that he really had returned - because he was dead.

And no matter what happened, the dead remained dead. They would never breathe again, no matter what she wished.


	4. Chapter 4

SeeWoo arched an eyebrow, then with a simple flick of his hand he sent the guards crashing to the ground, groaning in pain. He smirked.

Oh, it was fun, being dead. The smile slowly turned into something more like a sneer - so dear, sweet Miku had thought that she could run away from him so easily? Believing that ghosts could only haunt the place they had died in? So she didn't want to be reminded of her guilt...

Well, he could follow her, perfectly well. Originally, he had intended to continue tracing her nightmares - but then a better idea had come to him. It was an excellent preposition, in his opinion, and he hoped he could convince the ruler of the Underworld to see from his point of view. This place needed more fun.

More guards came rushing in, and he stood there, staring at them boredly. Flicking his ash-blonde hair out of his eyes, he narrowed his blue-grey eyes at them, then whispered a single incantation which froze all of them in their tracks, unable to approach.

SeeWoo stretched, satisfied. ''Good boys,'' he purred at the horror-stricken guards, who had clearly never dealt with anything like him before. And of course they wouldn't have - he was the first of his kind.

A spectre. No simple ghost, no mere denizen of the Underworld - but a spectre, a delusional, twisted ghost of mere legend. Spectres were powerful, insane ghosts with absolutely nothing to lose. They couldn't tell friend from foe, and were usually destructive spirits intent on wreaking as much havoc as possible. Or, that was what legend claimed them to be.

SeeWoo was a spectre. A spectre, the first of his kind to ever have existed, in real life. Insane? He thought not - but yes, he was strong. He was unlike anything the Underworld had ever seen before, and he could be grateful to _Miku Hatsune _for turning him the way he was.

Spectres were the ghosts of those who, while living, had been tormented by anguish and choices so much they had been driven mad. Anguish, indeed - he had loved that human, that weak cage of mortal flesh. She had left him, and that had sent him into a spiralling web of depression, which grew stronger as the days passed. Growing so strong that he no longer could tell black and white apart.

His world had been monochrome, just like the world he conjured in Miku's nightmares. Her nightmares reflected the blank existence he had suffered in, while she had been off enjoying herself. His lips curled back into a snarl.

He had been serious about killing himself over her - he had loved her that much. He had told her when and where he was going to take his own life. She had shown up...and she had done nothing, her emerald eyes coolly beckoning to him to jump. To end his and her misery.

Well, if she wanted him to die so badly, if she wanted him to leave her alone...he would do that. But nothing could prevent him from coming back, nothing at all - no one could stop an spectre on the rampage, no one save for the gods themselves. Spectres were truly feared for what they were - and what they could do.

More guards poured in, nervousness evident on their faces as they charged into the antechamber of the gargantuan palace. SeeWoo smirked again, tilting his head back as they stopped in a circle around him, maintaining a careful distance from him. Trapping him.

Or so they thought. They dared to entertain the thought of capturing a spirit who was more bloodthirsty, more sadistic, than anything they had ever encountered before?

Letting his lips part, a low, keening wail escaped him, a soft wail which fluctuated, increasing and decreasing in volume. A wail bemoaning the tragedies of the world, a wail which sent chills up anyone's spines. A wail which spoke of death and destruction, _promising _death to anyone who dared to stand in the path of a vengeful spectre.

The guards dropped their weapons, in both shock and terror - and SeeWoo stopped the keening, letting an eerie silence settle in its wake. He regarded them with his icy blue-grey eyes, and they watched him, fearful.

''Don't make me kill you,'' he smiled. ''Because I can do that. Every single one of you. Without having to think about it. How do you like the sound of that, dying the second death?''

''How many of you can remember what it was like to die?'' he whispered, suddenly disappearing from the circle to stand behind one of the guards. The unfortunate spirit froze. ''You...how did you die? Let's see...poisoning, wasn't it? Your second death will be far more painful than that.''

Another victim as SeeWoo drifted along outside the circle. His cold fingers lightly touched the back of the spirit's neck as he smirked. ''Death waits for you. It'd like to embrace you,'' he murmured. ''Welcome to total, absolute oblivion - a loss of complete feeling and sense. Would you like that? Would you like to know how it's like, the eternal twilight existence of a spectre?'' he smiled, this time a little madly.

Murmurs of ''spectre...spectre'' started up, the delicious fear and hidden madness crescendoing, feeding his insanity. SeeWoo snapped his teeth together, making a clacking sound, and the guards flinched as one.

''Spectre,'' he agreed easily. ''And I apologise for this, I really do - but I'm getting a little bored of all this,'' he ended with a little silky purr.

Before any of the guards could do anything, he had made his move, and then screams of pain and terror rended the air, wisps of spirit tearing away, flung through the air like rubbish, unwanted and discarded.

SeeWoo walked away, done, leaving behind a mess of silver blood and torn essence - the flesh of a spirit. ''Second death, hm?'' he mused, absently wiping silver blood off his hands, onto his black pants. The stains glimmered in the dark, branding him for what he was - a blood-thirsty spectre. A murderer.

He rather liked the sound of that. Again, he had to thank Miku for tormenting him enough to drive him insane, and he had to thank Death for claiming him. Being a spectre, an insane being of power and terror, was one of the most fun activities he had ever engaged in.

He threw open the door to the throne room, walking through it as though he had the right to be here. As though he had the right to make demands. And he knew he had that right - the God of the Underworld wouldn't want to forsake his most precious prize...an actual spectre.

The silver-haired God of Death, with his blood-red eyes, narrowed his gaze at him as he stood before the god, bowing a little just to admit the tiniest sign of respect and deference. The god was reclining on a throne made entirely out of bone - numerous bones, all from humans, fashioned into a regal throne.

He had one leg carelessly slung over an arm of the macabre throne, his hand resting on his knee. In his other hand, he held open a simple, black leather-bound book, its cover splattered in dark red. Upon his arrival, he snapped the book shut, tilting his head back to sigh wearily.

''My little spectre,'' he murmured. ''Death has been kind to you, granting you powers beyond anything your mortal mind could have imagined - but I would appreciate it if you hold yourself back from killing my guards, it is rather difficult to find good palace guards, nowadays.''

SeeWoo felt his lips tilt up into a brief smile, almost mockingly. ''Really? I apologise, sire. It was not in my intentions to make life difficult for you - I simply wanted to reach you as quickly as possible. Your guards were blocking my way and my objective - I found it offensive.''

Not to mention troublesome. The god sighed once again, shifting so that he sat properly in his seat, both feet now touching the ground. He assumed his business facade. ''So what would you seek of me, SeeWoo?''

''Make me a deal,'' SeeWoo's voice lowered, becoming an intense whisper. ''Let me return to the mortal world, in an actual live, breathing body, and in the form I had before my death.''

The god's red eyes flickered with amusement and intrigue. ''And tell me, dear spectre, why should I allow you to do that? Dead men should stay dead - that is the way of the Underworld and its spirit denizens. If any one of the spirits find out you've been given another chance at life, why, they would pester me for a chance as well - and that would be most tiresome.''

''I am willing to give you anything you wish, so long as you grant me this one small wish,'' SeeWoo shot the god a grin. ''And as long as whatever it is that you request for is within my means. You can have what you desire from me - I just want to live again.''

''Why the sudden yearning to return to the land of the living, though?'' the god cocked his head, regarding SeeWoo with curiosity. SeeWoo felt the smile disappear from his face.

''I won't allow you to leave unless you give me a reason as to why you are so eager to be alive again,'' he added. ''After all, you decided to take your own life. You committed suicide, if I remember correctly...''

SeeWoo gritted his teeth. ''It's a girl,'' he grudgingly admitted. The god smirked.

''Ah, it's always a girl,'' he mumbled. ''Well, what is it that you want from this girl?''

''I want her death,'' SeeWoo stated baldly. ''I want her to suffer as much as I had, when I was alive. I want her to know exactly what being driven mad feels like.''

''There's more, isn't there?'' the god said perceptively. ''If you had just wanted revenge, you could always obtain that while in your spiritual form...you wouldn't need a mortal body for mere, petty revenge.''

SeeWoo frowned, mutinous, but as a threatening warning crept into the silver-haired god's eyes he finally admitted what else he wanted. ''I want her, too. I desire both her, and her death...I want both, all to myself.''

The god nodded, satisfied. ''I see. But if you leave, you must be replaced. I can't let a spirit just escape from the Underworld, not without some form of replacement...'' he sighed. ''But it'd be so fun to let a spectre on the loose...''

''What do you want, Hakuo?'' SeeWoo finally snapped, losing his patience. Red eyes met his, filled with lazy triumph as the god smiled. The God of the Underworld, Hakuo Yowane - he was both deadly and childish, which could be an extremely dangerous combination.

''Sure, don't get your panties up in a bunch,'' he drawled. ''I'll grant your wish.'' Those red eyes stared at him intently, filled with a challenge. ''In exchange for something, of course...''

''And what is that something?'' At that point, SeeWoo didn't care - he just wanted to return to the realm of the living. He would have accepted any bargain, at that moment.

The god whispered his terms, so quietly that SeeWoo almost couldn't hear what he had said. He jerked back, startled by the demand, and the god shrugged, turning away, his eyes once again becoming distant and disinterested. ''Well, if you can't bring yourself to agree to that, then there's no need -''

''I agree to your terms,'' SeeWoo interrupted, without having to think about it. The god smirked at his brash words.

''So confident,'' Hakuo purred. ''Very well. Then you will be human for a month, no more, no less - and I expect my payment by the end of that month. If you pay up, you remain human. If you don't...well, back here you'll come. And this time, you will suffer in Hell itself.''

SeeWoo smirked. ''Oh, don't worry about payment. It's something that...I never really wanted, anyway.''


	5. Chapter 5

Miku drew in a deep breath, feeling nervous. It was a new start, in a new school - things had to be better here than back at her old home. Even though she would have to make new friends, at least she wasn't haunted by memories of her past here...at least she wasn't haunted by memories of SeeWoo.

Hopefully, her nightmares would be free of him as well. But she doubted that would happen - it wasn't like she had left her guilty conscience behind. And that damned conscience was probably the reason why she kept dreaming of SeeWoo. She gritted her teeth, frustrated.

Closing her eyes to calm herself down, she shouldered her bag and walked past the open front doors of the school, trying to act as though she wasn't in the slightest bit nervous. As expected, people in the hallways quietened and turned to stare at her - mostly because of her teal hair. Miku knew that she should expect and be used to that sort of reaction by now.

Wherever she went, people noticed and whispered about her strangely coloured hair. Sometimes, she wanted to dye it - just so that people would stop staring at her hair. So people wouldn't think that she was all that...different. It didn't matter what colour her hair was. She was still a human being, wasn't she?

It was natural. She didn't know why she had been born with teal hair, and she didn't think there was any particular reason for it. It wasn't like her teal hair indicated she was evil or anything...but still, her odd hair unnerved many people, and most of the new people she met were rather reluctant to talk to her.

True, she had friends. When she went up to people and talked to them, after a while they warmed to her, and they would begin to chat normally. But few people dared to come up to her instead of the other way round. Usually, she introduced herself to other people. People just simply didn't talk to her first.

The only person who had come up to her, of their own accord, to talk to her...had been SeeWoo. And with SeeWoo came new friends, new people. After SeeWoo and her started hanging out, Miku finally made friends. People who were willing to talk to her, who didn't shun her simply because she was different.

She shook her head sharply. She didn't want to think of SeeWoo right now. _He's dead, he's dead and he's not coming back. And you caused his death. Your fault, your fault, his death is all your fault - _she shut off the train of thought. It wasn't her fault. How could it be?

She dug around in her bag for her new timetable and locker number. Scanning the rows of lockers along the walls, she looked for hers, and she sighed in relief as she finally located it, next to the water cooler. She hurried towards her locker, glad to have a reason to ignore all of the curious stares directed at her. Having a destination in mind made her feel as though for once, she was actually in charge of her own life. In some small way.

Reaching her locker, she tested it, spinning the dials to the combination code scrawled on her timetable. Fumbling with the codes also let her concentrate on the task at hand, so she didn't have to meet the gazes of anyone. Years of being treated like a curiosity in the zoo had forced her to learn exactly how to avoid attracting attention. Both good and bad.

So she was still rather surprised that SeeWoo had asked her out. She was surprised that he had even noticed her. Despite all the fuss her teal hair had made at their old school, after the novelty had worn off she had become almost invisible. She had her own cluster of friends, people she had started talking to, but she hadn't been popular. Not like SeeWoo had been.

Even now, she still wondered what he had ever seen in her. Her teal hair was her only distinctive feature, the only thing that made her stand out from the rest of the crowd. She wasn't overly beautiful or overwhelmingly intelligent. Other than her unique hair, she was the average schoolgirl, struggling to make it through the school curriculum each day.

Thinking of SeeWoo again. She felt her lips tense, and she pushed thoughts of the dead blonde out of her mind. He was no longer alive. And she wasn't going to think about bits of her past she didn't want to recall. She came here intending to have a new start. A new life. A chance to start everything afresh.

She couldn't do that if SeeWoo was still haunting her every thought, making her feel guilty - even though she knew that his death had nothing to do with her. It wasn't her fault that he had jumped off that building...was it?

Anyway, she had to start making friends soon. She knew from past experience that people would be intrigued by her, but they would be unwilling to walk up to her and say hello. If she wanted to start making any new friends, she was going to have to go out there and start talking to people. It was difficult for her.

Miku was not exactly what you could call sociable. She was an introvert, but she wasn't a loner. She kept to herself, but she didn't prefer her own company over the company of others. She needed her own group of friends too.

Her locker door finally swung open, and she sighed in relief. There had been once before, she had been given the wrong locker combination. It had been rather troublesome as the school had misplaced the correct code, and she had to bring all her textbooks home until the locker providers could come down to the school and reset her locker combination.

Slowly, she let the door swing shut, then glanced at the watch strapped to her left wrist. There was still some time before classes started. Her first lesson was Maths, and she thought she ought to make her way to the classroom. She didn't want to get lost and be late to class on the very first day of school - it wouldn't make a good impression on anyone. Teachers or otherwise.

''You're new, aren't you? What's your name?'' A sweet looking girl with short blonde hair suddenly appeared before her, and Miku jerked back, startled. The girl smiled brightly, looking cheerful and friendly. Still, Miku wasn't used to people just...coming up and talking to her.

Yes, she was used to stares and whispers. And outright gawking. But so few people ever talked to her of their own accord, she almost wondered whether this girl was normal. ''Um. My name is Miku Hatsune...'' she smiled tremulously. ''And yeah, I'm new here. What's your name?'' she asked, curious.

''Me? My name's Rin! Rin Kagamine,'' she offered a hand, and hesitantly Miku shook it. ''I like your hair. It's cool. I've never seen teal hair before. Is it dyed?'' the girl chirped.

Miku smiled wryly. People asked her that a lot. ''No, it's natural. But you're not the first person to ask me that, so...'' she spun the combination of her locker randomly, locking it. Rin stared at her, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.

''Is your first class Maths? I'm a sophomore here...are you one too? Maybe we can be in the same class,'' she suddenly said, still as brightly as ever. Miku blinked, then slowly she nodded. This girl was scarily upbeat.

''So we're in the same class?'' Rin clapped her hands excitedly, reminding Miku of a little girl. ''That's great! It's nice to make new friends,'' she gushed, and strangely enough Miku found herself warming to the enthusiastic blonde. ''There have been a lot of new people here recently,'' Rin added, almost as an afterthought. ''You're the third new kid around here.''

Miku arched an eyebrow. ''Really?'' she asked, wondering. If there were other new students here...well, maybe Miku should talk to them. It wasn't like they would have made many new friends either, if they were new. Right?

''Yeah. You're the first girl though. I'm glad about that,'' Rin said cheerily. ''The other two are guys, and they already have all the girls swarming all over them. It's weird.''

Miku guessed that they were good-looking then, if that was the case. ''Are they sophomores like us?'' she mumbled, leaning against her locker. People were still staring at her, and she fidgeted, feeling uncomfortable. She chose to stare at Rin so she could avoid the gawking of other people. Thank god for friendly, overly enthusiastic girls. Miku could safely say that she had made one friend today, at least.

''Yes again. Oh look, there they are now!'' Rin turned her around with surprising strength for a girl as petite as she was, and Miku looked in the direction Rin had turned her to. There were two boys there, and as Rin had said, they were being trailed after by several starry-eyed girls. Miku resisted the urge to sigh.

They were just boys. Were they really worth those girls sacrificing their own dignity? Rin made no such effort to suppress her emotions, and an audible sigh escaped the lips of the petite blonde. ''See you in Maths later, Miku! Sit next to me! I'm going to find my twin.''

Before Miku could whirl around and protest, Rin had disappeared from sight, as quickly as she had appeared before her. She could move really fast, and Miku shook her head, feeling a little amused. Idly, she turned to glance at the two boys again, who were still sidling down the hall.

One of the boys had crimson eyes and long silver hair that reached the middle of his back. That long hair was tied up into a sleek, elegant ponytail, and Miku blinked. He didn't look old enough to have silver hair. And his crimson eyes...were those contacts?

He was rather handsome, though. That was true. Her eyes slid lazily to the other boy, and then she stiffened. Her green eyes clashed with the gaze of the other boy, and he returned her stare evenly. His lips tilted up into a knowing smile - an almost mocking smirk.

She backed away dazedly, away from the boy. His gaze was boring a hole right through her, and she swallowed, shaking her head. No. This wasn't possible. Was it? She turned on her heel and ran away, fleeing down the hallway. Away from the two of them. Away from that eerily familiar boy, away from her nightmares.

Ash blonde hair. Blue grey eyes. Soft, full lips, high cheekbones, sloping nose, wicked smile. SeeWoo. It was unmistakeably SeeWoo - no one else had that same playful mischievous aura he did. No one could look so uncannily like him. And he didn't have a twin.

But SeeWoo...wasn't he supposed to be dead? She had seen him die with her own two eyes. She ran into the girls' toilet and stood opposite the mirror, staring at herself. Her face was white, and her eyes were wide, filled with fear. She looked as though she had just seen a ghost - and that was exactly what had just happened. She had seen a dead man come back to life. But how was that possible?

What was going on?


	6. Chapter 6

Miku found Rin quickly - she was waving at her in her enthusiastic way, next to a boy who looked exactly like her, except that his blonde hair was tied up into a small ponytail. He was also half a head taller than Rin was. Miku assumed that the boy was Rin's twin brother.

Quickly, the tealette made her way over to the blonde girl, who beamed at her and indicated the empty seat next to hers. The boy cocked his head, staring at Miku...or more specifically, at her hair, and Miku ducked her head, feeling self-conscious. As usual. The first thing that people noticed about her was always her hair.

''Hi, Miku!'' Rin chirped as Miku settled herself into the seat next to hers, looking as cheerful as ever. ''This is my brother, Len!'' Rin then waved a hand at the blonde boy standing next to her. ''Len, this is Miku Hatsune. She's new here.'' Rin returned her gaze from her brother back to Miku, and Miku and Len stared at each other.

Len smiled hesitantly at her, his cerulean eyes once again drifting to her long teal hair. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak she cut across him - ''Yes, the teal colour is natural, and I have never dyed my hair before,'' she said resignedly.

Len laughed softly. ''I guess a lot of people have asked you that before, then?'' he drawled, tone teasing. Miku shrugged, her cheeks warming slightly at the blonde boy's teasing tone, then nodded slowly. Len was...good-looking, to say the least. He was probably one of the beautiful, popular people of the school, the kind of person who had cling-ons hanging off his arm - just like SeeWoo had been. She suppressed a wince.

''Most people have never seen teal hair before...so I get asked that question a lot,'' she said as an explanation, reaching up unconsciously to twist a lock of her teal hair around her finger. Len's lips tilted up into a smirk as he watched her twirl her hair.

''I think your hair is cool,'' he ran his fingers through his own bright blonde hair. ''Like you said...you don't get to see natural teal hair everyday...so, see you guys later during lunch?'' his blue eyes were filled with wicked humour. ''Bye, Rin. Miku. Have fun in Maths.''

With that, the blonde boy sauntered out of the classroom, whistling. He seemed like the easygoing type - Miku hoped that she would be able to consider him as a friend, along with his twin sister. Rin glanced at Miku slyly.

''Do you think Len likes you?'' she suddenly piped up, looking faintly amused. Miku blinked, then her cheeks flushed a faint pink. Hastily, she shook her head as Rin stared at her. ''I mean, he seems to treat you awfully nice. I've never heard him speak to me so nicely before, and I'm his twin sister and all,'' Rin pouted.

''Well...we just met, after all,'' Miku said lamely, her heart racing. ''Most people wouldn't go around saying mean things to people they had only just met, right?'' Like. Relationships. Infatuation. She wasn't ready for any of that, not right now - she still hadn't got over her previous boyfriend's death. SeeWoo's death...

But could he be considered dead, if he was here, walking and talking, being a new student? Rin sighed knowingly at her. ''Len doesn't care about any of that. He treats new people and old friends the same - if he doesn't like you, he'll tell you that, straight to your face. Len finds you attractive!'' Rin teased in a sing-song way.

''Rin!'' Miku's cheeks warmed further as she struggled to think of something to say. She opened her mouth, ready to implore the petite blonde to stop teasing her - but then someone walked into the classroom, and she noticed who it was with a sense of dread, the words she had been about to say dying on her tongue.

The ash blonde boy walked into the classroom as though he owned the place, one of his elegant hands running through his thick, silky hair. Yes, she knew exactly how soft and silky his hair was - she had lost count of how many times she had stroked that hair before. His blue grey eyes swept the room, finally descending upon her. His lips tilted up into a cruel smile.

_SeeWoo...how is he alive? I'm sure that I saw him die. He's supposed to have died. So what is he doing here, in the same school as I am? Bad enough that he can worm his way into all of my dreams - now he's here, too? What does he want with me? Why does he keep following me wherever I go? What...what is he, now?_

She was still unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. How could SeeWoo still be alive? She had seen him jump off the building. She had seen him hit the ground, his blood flowing out to stain everything red...so how could he be here? Was this all yet another nightmare? She swallowed, quickly averting her gaze from that cold blue grey one.

Rin glanced up. ''Oh, it's SeeWoo. He's in this class too...maybe you two could talk or something? Since you're both new here?'' the blonde beamed cheerfully at her, and Miku smiled back weakly. _Talk to SeeWoo, when he shouldn't even be alive? When I know he probably hates me? I'd rather die first._

The ash blonde boy made his way down her row, and she tensed, especially when he swept past her table. But he didn't stop or say anything, and after he had walked away she exhaled, realising that her fingers had been curled up tightly into fists. Slowly, she unclenched her fingers, staring down at her hands. Maybe this was all a nightmare

Rin looked at her curiously. ''Miku? You look kind of upset. Did something happen just now?'' Miku smiled again, another weak smile, then shook her head slowly. Rin blinked, a look of worry in her blue eyes, but she didn't probe further. Miku could tell that the petite blonde was concerned for her, but she respected her privacy enough that she didn't ask Miku anything.

Honestly, she was rather grateful that Rin had decided to just befriend her like that, but she really didn't want to share her worries with anyone else right now. Everyone would think that she was insane - for who would believe that SeeWoo was supposed to be dead? Especially not when he seemed so alive...

Earlier, after sighting SeeWoo with that silver haired boy, she had run to the toilet to calm herself down. It was only after she had managed to convince herself that her eyes had been playing tricks on her, then she had left the toilet to make her way to her first class.

Yet, now it would seem that her eyes hadn't been lying. SeeWoo...he was here, and he hadn't looked too welcoming when he had seen her. She could remember the look on his face when he had first sighted her in the school hallway, and when he had first entered the class - the look of malicious glee in his eyes had been one that she was very unaccustomed to seeing on him. He was usually sweet and gentle...

How had he managed to return to life? And...why was he here? What did he want from her? Her life, in revenge for the life he thought she had taken away from him? She swallowed, feeling a tiny little bit of fear rear its head in her stomach. She felt a little ill, actually, the butterflies in her stomach making her feel more than just a little queasy.

_Feeling ill? That's terrible. I'll look after you gladly, Miku love. Aren't you happy that I'm back? We can be boyfriend and girlfriend again, a happy little couple. Just like last time. Wouldn't you enjoy that, hm? _She stiffened as she heard the silkily familiar voice resound in her mind, her head whipping to the back of the classroom as, on instinct, her eyes searched for the ash blonde boy. He was sitting a little distance behind her, at the very back.

SeeWoo smirked back at her, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were frigid and emotionless as he regarded her. Quickly, she looked back at the front once more, the fear within her becoming stronger than ever. She could feel herself trembling.

Her thoughts...was he reading her thoughts? She had to bite her lip to hold back a little whimper, ignoring the semi-curious, worried glance her new friend shot her. Miku didn't want Rin to be dragged down into her own set of problems. She barely knew Rin - she shouldn't have to be involved in Miku's troubles. Especially not when Miku herself had completely no idea what was going on with her.

_He's not the SeeWoo I had once known. The SeeWoo I knew was kind and loving...but this one isn't. He twisted and malicious, and he seems intent on making me feel scared. What does he want from me? Just...just leave me alone. He shouldn't even be here. Dead men ought to stay dead...how did he come back?_

She could feel his intense gaze boring a hole right into her back, even though she tried her very hardest to ignore that same stare.


	7. Chapter 7

''What are you planning?'' Miku spoke quietly to herself as she watched the ash blond boy, laughing as he sat with a group of girls. At the sight, she couldn't help feeling a tinge of jealousy - residual emotion from...before.

It was nothing more than that, not any longer. She had broken up with SeeWoo not because she no longer had feelings for him - but simply because she knew they would never be able to maintain a long-distance relationship. Neither of them had the patience, nor the willpower, to stay together with each other. Not when they would be unable to physically meet up with the other. Such long-distance relationships...

Those rarely ever worked out anyway. Miku didn't care about what SeeWoo did - he was nothing to her now, nothing but a mere fragment of a past she didn't want to remember. Still, her gaze couldn't help being drawn to him. How had he managed to return to life this way? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Dead men ought to remain dead, but SeeWoo evidently was paying that rule no heed.

Did he want something from her? Her fingers tightened around the pencil she was holding - she had nothing to offer him, and she couldn't think of anything he might possibly want from her. Nothing other than her life, in exchange for his own. Perhaps that was everything he wanted from her. A life for a life, wasn't that how the saying went? She choked back a soft giggle - how apt that saying was now.

''Are you okay?'' Rin asked her, genuine concern evident in her voice as she spoke to her. Her blond hair fluttered a little as she turned around to face Miku. Hastily, Miku composed herself, rearranging her features so that she seemed calm and relaxed - so that her expression showed nothing of the semi-hysteria that she was feeling within her, at that very moment. She couldn't stand not understanding.

She couldn't stand this constant fear and wariness. She had moved to a new place, hoping that her past would stop haunting her if she did such a thing. But contrary to her hopes, her fears had worsened - instead of forgetting, the dead boy of her past had found a way to return to life. Instead of haunting merely her dreams now, he could haunt her in real life as well. Nervousness made her feel tensed.

Idly, in an unimportant part of her mind, she wondered whether this meant that SeeWoo would no longer come to her in the night, tormenting her every dream. Now that he could taunt her in her waking hours, would he still want to visit and warp her dreams? She supposed that she wouldn't be able to find out, not until she dreamt tonight - she wasn't going to ask SeeWoo right now, of course.

''I'm fine,'' Miku answered Rin's question rather absent-mindedly, feeling somewhat grateful for the blonde's concern. It felt good to have a friend to talk to, even if Miku wouldn't be able to confide her problems and fears to Rin. ''Just a little tired,'' she smiled apologetically, hiding the dark terror she could feel deep inside her. Even now, she could feel an icy cold gaze trained on her. No doubt it was SeeWoo.

''Well, it's your first day at school, of course,'' Rin smiled back at her, though it was a little uncertainly, a faint shimmer of doubt shining in her cerulean eyes. Miku was rather struck by how much she resembled her twin - an image of Len Kagamine, smirking down at her, struck her mind, and quickly she let her thoughts drift to other matters. ''It's not surprising that you'd be tired and all,'' Rin finished saying.

Miku shrugged, not knowing how to reply to that. She knew that Rin could sense this was more than mere first day fatigue - but how could Miku possibly tell Rin about SeeWoo? No one would believe her, not when SeeWoo seemed so perfectly...alive. No one would ever suspect that SeeWoo technically wasn't part of the world of the living. He had died, after all. How could he possibly still be here?

''Let's go for lunch?'' she finally suggested lamely. Rin met her gaze, curiosity still hidden deep within their cerulean blue depths, and slowly she nodded. Miku rose from her chair, shouldering her bag - she had no reason to remain in school after lunch. It was her first day here, and she didn't have any after-school activities on. She used adjusting her bag as an excuse to avoid Rin's probing gaze.

She felt faintly uncomfortable, under Rin's penetrating stare. She had never before made a friend who was as perceptive as Rin Kagamine was. This was so strange - Rin had come to talk to her of her own accord, and now it seemed as though Rin knew her better than any of her other friends ever had, before. Despite them only knowing each other for a few hours or so. Miku swallowed, pushing the thought away.

''Lunch,'' Rin finally echoed, her blue eyes lightening. ''I'm hungry,'' she nodded, agreeing with Miku. ''Besides, Len will be waiting for us in the cafeteria!'' she added, a teasing light entering her mischievous gaze. That playfulness made Miku feel slightly more at ease than Rin's previous curiosity. ''I'm sure he's really looking forward to seeing you,'' she stage-whispered conspiratorially. Miku flushed.

''Rin!'' she protested. It was odd, how she felt so strangely at ease around this petite blonde, despite having known her for only a short while. ''I only just met Len, and vice-versa. I'm sure that he's just curious about my hair,'' she ended with a sigh, glancing down at her table. Rin laughed quietly, bouncing over to pat her on the shoulder. She had to reach up on her tiptoes just so that she could reach Miku's shoulder.

''Len tends to make who he likes and dislikes very obvious,'' she said cheerfully. ''There's a very distinct difference in the way he treats the people he likes, and the people he hates. And he treats you...a little differently from how he treats other people. It makes me suspicious,'' Rin pursed her lips. ''Do you have a boyfriend or anything right now?'' the blonde asked her, her voice still a conspiratorial whisper.

Miku tensed as, once again, she felt SeeWoo's intense gaze boring a hole into her back. ''A boyfriend?'' she repeated, thinking about it. SeeWoo had been her boyfriend before his death...now that he was alive, did this mean he was her boyfriend once again? Quickly, though, she decided against that. ''I don't have any boyfriend now,'' she spoke slightly louder than needed, letting her voice carry.

''That's great!'' Rin chirped, her eyes sparkling - she evidently hadn't found anything too strange about Miku's suddenly change in speaking volume. ''Then Len has a chance, doesn't he?'' she asked her eagerly. ''He hasn't had a girlfriend in forever. He kept saying that he was waiting for 'The One','' Miku could sense Rin's eye roll here. ''Whatever The One means. Maybe you're whoever it is he has been waiting for.''

Miku felt her cheeks warm. ''Rin, Len and I don't even know each other, not really. Just because he treats me differently from other people doesn't mean that he likes me,'' she protested. _Besides, it's too fast. It's too soon. It's not possible for someone to like a person they had only just met...especially not when that person has no special qualities that can make her stand out from the rest of the crowd._

''Len believes a lot in affinity and Fate,'' Rin shrugged casually. ''Who knows? Anyway, let's go for lunch - we'll see whether we can wring a confession out of him then,'' she winked, sliding an arm through Miku's own. Before Miku could protest against what was going on, the enthusiastic blonde was dragging her out of the classroom, heading to the cafeteria in her attempt to set Miku up with her brother.

Deciding it would be wiser not to struggle, Miku let Rin drag her out of the classroom. But right before she left the room, she turned around to glance back at SeeWoo. Her gaze met his blue grey one, and as soon as their eyes met, she hastily averted her gaze, her heart thudding rapidly in her chest. Firmly, she fixed her gaze before her, knowing that it would be better that she did not turn to look back once again.

SeeWoo's eyes...they had been eerily empty, not responding in any way to the conversation she had with Rin just now. But as her gaze clashed with his, she swore that she had seen flickers of emotion run through his eyes - something that looked like anger. But underneath that simmering fury had been another emotion, an emotion which unnerved her more than that anger. Jealousy. And...possessiveness.

_You belong to me, _was what that gaze had seemed to tell her as she had stared at him. _How could you even consider the thought of being with someone other than me? If there's only one person you're allowed to be with, then that person will be me. _She could picture this new SeeWoo telling her that, in fact. That possessiveness wouldn't seem too out of place, not for this SeeWoo. She could sense that.

She held back a shiver as she left the classroom, her arm slung through Rin's as Rin pulled her away from the room, going to the cafeteria where her twin brother awaited. At that thought, her wariness of SeeWoo lessened a little - her mind suddenly thought of how good-looking Len Kagamine was, and she suppressed a blush. _No, I can't let Rin's teasing about Len get to me, not now._

She didn't like Len...if it weren't for Rin's teasing, she doubted she would even feel like this about meeting the blond boy now. She didn't want to think about new relationships, new boyfriends...new affections. Not when SeeWoo was here, his gaze studying her every move. Just waiting for her to slip up and make some kind of mistake. Waiting for the mouse to stumble so he could pounce upon it.

She just wanted to live her life away from her past, to forget everything. But this didn't appear to be happening any time soon, this wish of hers - how could she live peacefully while her past was still around to haunt her?

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

''You took a really long time,'' was Len's droll greeting as Rin dragged a rather reluctant Miku over to the table. The five girls who had been trying to talk to the disinterested looking Len had scattered at a single glare from Rin, and Miku flinched - Rin was rather intimidating.

''Sorry,'' Rin answered, breathless as she tried to make Miku sit. Miku responded by pulling against Rin's firm grip, digging her heels into the ground. ''As you can probably see,'' she explained to her bemused looking brother,''I'm having a pretty hard time trying to convince someone to sit with us. She does not seem to be very open to the idea of sitting with me, and that makes me feel extremely upset.''

''Stop talking about me as though I'm not here,'' Miku grumbled, finally giving in to Rin and planting herself on the seat opposite Len's. He regarded her with an single eyebrow raised, and at that she felt the blush on her cheeks deepen. If only Rin hadn't continuously went on and on about how she could tell that Len had a crush on Miku. Miku didn't know whether Rin's words were true, but the intense scrutiny that Len was putting her through didn't help much.

He couldn't really be interested in her, could he? In this strange girl he had only just recently met? Their gazes clashed, his blue eyes as penetrating as Rin's, and then he broke into a small smile. ''Why, am I really all that frightening?'' he asked, good humour in his voice. Mutely, she shook her head, unsure of how else she was supposed to respond to the question. She hoped it had been rhetorical.

She couldn't stop noticing exactly how...handsome Len was. He was as handsome as SeeWoo was, perhaps even more so. The two boys shared the same kind of magnetic good looks which had made SeeWoo so popular in their old school, and she held little doubt that Len was popular as well. Especially amongst the girls. And especially with that easygoing, casual attitude he treated everyone with.

''I'm not going to eat you up or anything, you know,'' he added, faint amusement in his voice. ''You can talk to me,'' his gaze was intense. Miku lifted her head, meeting his stare, and their gazes held this time. She had to wonder how long it would take before one of them would look away. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see that Rin was giving her a triumphant, 'I told you so' kind of look. Rin was ignored.

It didn't mean that he liked her, after all. No matter how intense his gaze was. No one could like someone else that quickly, could they? They had known each other for the space of merely five minutes, after all. Miku decided to shove away the memory of Rin's teasing - Len would probably make a good friend, and she wasn't going to allow Rin's words affect the way she treated the handsome blond boy.

''I'll get something to eat,'' she finally chirped, rising from her chair as she broke the strange stand-off that had been happening between her and Len. Both of the Kagamine twins offered to accompany her, Rin with her simple friendliness and Len with a quiet intensity. But she declined, insisting that she could get her own food. The awkwardness she would feel around Len, and the way Rin would tease her about him...

Well, she didn't want to have to deal with either of that. She suppressed a sigh - if only Rin hadn't mentioned that Len might have a crush on her. Otherwise she didn't think that she would be feeling this way about the blond boy now. It was strange, how strongly someone else's words could affect your treatment of a person. Would she be feeling so awkward if Rin had never mentioned anything about Len?

As she walked through the cafeteria, deep in thought, she didn't notice the person watching her with narrowed eyes, from near the lunch queue. Finally, when she reached the queue, an arm snaked out, long fingers wrapping around her wrist. Before she could cry out in shock, she was being dragged out of the cafeteria by her captor, the other person not giving her any chance to snap out of her state of surprise.

She wondered dazedly if anyone would suspect and follow, but she doubted that - after all, people tended not to bother themselves about the affairs of strangers. She sneaked a peek at whoever her captor was, and her breath froze as she recognised the hauntingly familiar ash blond hair. All at once, her heartbeat sped up in fear and nervousness, making her try her hardest to tug her wrist free of his grasp.

She had to hope that Len and Rin might see her, might come to her rescue - but the two twins sat in a secluded corner of the cafeteria in a bid to maintain what little privacy they could, and it was more than likely that they couldn't see what was going on at the lunch queue. As for the other people who could witness what was happening, she didn't know them, nor did they know her. So they didn't do anything.

His grip didn't loosen, not until they were out of the cafeteria. Looking around to make sure that there wasn't anyone else nearby, SeeWoo finally stared back at her, his blue grey eyes narrowed with hostility. His arms pinned her against the wall, next to a row of lockers, him leaning so close to her that she could feel his cool breath against her face. She had to bite her lip to hold back a little whimper of fear.

Slowly, his frown tilted up into a mocking smile, and he reached up to loop a lock of her teal hair behind her ear. The tenderness of the gesture didn't match the frigidity of his eyes, and she stared in both shock and terror at him, wondering what he might possibly want from her. And why on earth had he just dragged her out of the cafeteria that way? What exactly did he have in store for her now?

''Feeling surprised to see me?'' he crooned, that silky voice sending a shiver down her spine.


	8. Chapter 8

_I'm scared of him..._Miku shoved the thought away. No, she couldn't possibly give in to her fear now. Not with SeeWoo, staring down at her, that familiar mocking smile on his face.

She parted her lips, unsure of what to say - then her eyes widened, as she saw him lean down, pressing his lips to hers. His hand slid behind her head, not letting her escape, and against her will she felt her eyes close. His kiss, his touch, it was all so familiar...even if he was supposed to be dead, she couldn't deny that all this was very familiar to her. He had loved her before, hadn't he? Before his death...

At that thought, she stiffened, and then her eyes flew open as she pushed him away from her, her hands flying up to her mouth. She was breathing heavily, still unable to believe what she had just allowed him to do - _she had allowed a dead man to kiss her. _No...quickly, she shrank back against the wall, unwilling to face what had just happened between them. Why had he kissed her? Didn't he hate her?

SeeWoo glanced up at her, one corner of his lips tilting up into a crooked smile. ''I've missed all that,'' he crooned. ''Your lips. Your taste. Your touch...'' his hand reached out to her cheek, but she turned away from it, her heart hammering in her chest. She glimpsed something almost like displeasure flicker through his eyes, but before she could take a closer look, that flicker was gone, and he was smiling at her again.

''Don't touch me,'' she could barely force the words out past her lips, she was so frightened. As expected, he ignored her, tilting his head as his fingers dragged slowly through her long hair. She flinched away from his touch. A little part of her wondered why she feared him so much - after all, they were both in school now. It wasn't as though he could do anything to her...yet, she still felt so terrified of him.

''My, my,'' he purred. ''What ever happened to the brave, headstrong Miku that I used to know? This is most unlike you. The last time I saw you...'' a wicked glint shone in his eyes, ''you weren't the timid little mouse you are, now. The last time I saw you, you were...different,'' at this, his lips curled into a grimace. ''You were bold enough to drive someone to his death now, weren't you?'' he hissed spitefully at her.

''I didn't do anything!'' she gasped out, resisting the urge to cower away from him and shield her eyes. What did he want from her? She couldn't stop thinking of the phrase, _a life for a life _- why was it that she felt...threatened? That her life was genuinely in danger? Because of her guilty conscience, perhaps? She didn't want to think about her possible, impending death, but it lingered in the back of her mind...

Like a parasite, and no matter what she did, the thought clung on to her, refusing to let go. ''You didn't do anything?'' SeeWoo's eyebrows lifted, and he stared incredulously down at her. As though he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. ''If it were not for you...'' he glanced down at the ground, then his gaze flicked back up to meet hers, ''then do you think I would've jumped in the first place?'' he asked, voice icy.

''You did it of your own accord,'' she argued, quite unwilling to believe that she was having an actual conversation with someone who was supposed to be...dead. At that, another thought occurred to her. ''How...did you manage to come back to life?'' she whispered. ''You're supposed to be dead. You jumped off the building - you said so yourself, just now. I saw your corpse in its coffin. How...'' her voice trailed off.

That twisted smile became even more mocking. ''You'd be surprised, at what kind of things could happen upon one's death,'' he answered, his silky voice as soft as her own. ''You told me before that you didn't believe in the existence of ghosts,'' he flicked some of her hair away from her eyes, and she flinched. ''Ghosts? There's a whole world of ghosts, just lurking around...out of sight, and out of mind,'' he laughed quietly.

She was startled by what he had just said. _I mentioned the ghost thing only in passing. He...he remembered that? I didn't know that he paid my words...such close attention. _She pushed the thought away - she was in danger of softening towards him, and she didn't want to soften. She couldn't forget about her wariness of him. After all, he was a ghost, come back to life...someone who had proved her wrong.

So ghosts did exist, in fact? ''Then why did you come back? What...what do you want?'' she breathed. _What do you want from me? _The intent look in his eyes made her feel like screaming at him - it was as though he was treating all this as no more than a game. A simple little game of cat-and-mouse, where she was the timid little mouse...and he was the bored cat, waiting for its prey to slip up.

''Me?'' his smile widened, almost imperceptibly. ''I want nothing more than...well, you,'' his voice softened as she froze, unwilling to comprehend what he had just said. ''Why do you look at me that way?'' he asked, a faint frown creasing his normally smooth forehead. He looked almost hurt, by the shocked way she was staring at him. ''Did you really expect otherwise, Miku? How could I possibly ever want to hurt you?''

His words sounded so genuine, so truthful - yet she distrusted the smooth innocence his eyes held. They were too guileless, tempting her to believe everything which he had just said. She couldn't forget her nightmares though, those torturous dreams where he always tormented her, making her feel as though she had been dropped into a deep chasm with no hope of escape. She just...couldn't trust him.

''I want the truth,'' she said forcefully, not knowing where this sudden burst of courage came from. SeeWoo's eyes widened a little as he registered her bold tone - Miku resisted the urge to shrink back from him, knowing that if she withdrew from him, he would mock her for being weak. The blond boy smirked at her, the faint shock which had flickered through his eyes disappearing, leaving his blue eyes blank.

''Oh, so the little mouse dares to speak up for herself now, does she?'' he hissed, voice turning low and menacing. Miku's breath hitched as her terror rose another notch - why did he scare her so? He used to be the boy she loved, and in a way she still loved him - was it because his presence was...unnatural? Because, ultimately, he was supposed to be a dead man. He wasn't supposed to exist on this mortal plane...

Before he could say anything else though, she heard a quiet voice cutting through the tense atmosphere, making her look up in curiosity...and a little hope. Had someone finally come to save her from her plight? ''I think you shouldn't stand so close to her,'' that voice murmured. ''You're obviously frightening her.'' SeeWoo's blue eyes narrowed a little, before he slowly, grudgingly stepped away from Miku.

She glanced up. There stood a silver haired boy, his crimson eyes regarding her curiously - she gasped, remembering who he was. _He's the other new student, the one who came to this school with SeeWoo...does this mean that he has something to do with SeeWoo's return from the dead? Who is this boy? _The boy tilted his head, then offered her a casual smile, and she couldn't help feeling a little more at ease.

''My name is Hakuo Yowane,'' he offered her a hand. Hesitantly, she shook it, and his grin widened a little. ''Was SeeWoo giving you any trouble?'' he asked, turning slightly to shoot the blond boy a look. SeeWoo was scowling at him, obviously unhappy about Hakuo's interruption. ''Ignore him, he's an idiot,'' the silver haired boy said jovially. Miku gaped at him - _does he know that SeeWoo came back from the dead?_

Judging from the easygoing manner Hakuo treated him with...she doubted he knew that, if he wasn't unnerved at all by the blond. If so, what was their relationship then? She couldn't help suspecting that Hakuo _knew _SeeWoo, even before they had come to this school...there was just something about the dark way SeeWoo was eyeing the boy. As though there was something about Hakuo which annoyed him greatly.

''Um, no, no trouble,'' she squeaked. Miku didn't understand herself why she was speaking up for SeeWoo - perhaps something of her previous love for him lingered behind, making her prone to moments of foolish sentimentality. Making her want to speak up on his behalf, regardless of whether or not he had done any wrong. Hakuo just stared silently at her - she had the feeling that he was assessing her.

It was almost as though the silver haired boy was capable of reading her thoughts, given the intent way he was staring at her...staring right into her very soul. Again, she had to wonder whether he had purposely dyed his hair silver - he definitely wasn't old enough to have silver hair. And his eyes. They were the red of freshly spilt blood, and that eerie crimson actually unnerved her as much as SeeWoo himself did.

Finally, Hakuo spun away from her. ''Let's go,'' he murmured, speaking to SeeWoo. SeeWoo narrowed his eyes back at her, before he looked at Hakuo and nodded. With that, the two boys left her alone, striding off down the hallway, in the opposite direction from the cafeteria. Miku exhaled, her heart racing in her chest - she didn't really understand what had just happened between the three of them.

She was just thankful that SeeWoo was finally, _finally _off her back. But then, it was only for today. For now. What of tonight? Would he come back in her nightmares and haunt her, torturing her until she couldn't tell black from white? And what about tomorrow? Would he still notice her, and single her out in school tomorrow? If he came to her in her nightmares tonight...she shivered, not liking the thought of that.

If he were to appear in her nightmares, what kind of personality would he have? She was starting to see a distinct difference in his dual personalities, whenever he talked to her. He was no longer the SeeWoo of old - he was no longer shy and considerate. Now, he was either cold and cruel, taunting her...or he was sure and passionate, like when he had kissed her earlier. His shyness was definitely gone now.

''Miku?'' she jerked out of reverie, hearing yet another voice calling out her name. Blond hair popped into view, and she stiffened - but it wasn't the ash blond of SeeWoo's hair. Bright blond hair met her gaze, and then Len was staring at her, his cerulean blue eyes filled with curiosity...and some other emotion which she couldn't seem to identify. She felt her cheeks warming as he regarded her so closely...

''Rin was wondering where you went. She said that you were taking a long time to get your lunch, so...'' he shrugged, running his long fingers through his hair. It was tied up into a small ponytail, and Miku felt this sudden, almost irresistible urge to reach over and tug on that ponytail. It was a ridiculous urge, and she did her best to quell the want. ''Why are you out here...?'' Len gestured at the hallway.

''Um,'' she stuttered, her cheeks flaming, ''I went to the toilet...stomach-ache,'' she placed a hand against her stomach, feigning a sudden bout of pain as she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt gentle fingers touch her cheek, and startled, her eyes flew open - Len was watching her closely, concern evident in his cerulean eyes. Lightly, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and that brief contact made her heart race.

_Why? _''You look like you're in a lot of pain...come on, I'll get you to the nurse's office,'' he placed his arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against his body. She blushed furiously - she could feel the lean muscles of his body against her own, and she was suddenly very, very aware of his warmth next to hers. _Damn it, Rin! Why on earth did you have to keep talking about Len's possible crush on me?_

''No, no, I'm fine!'' she exclaimed, pushing away from him. He watched her, confusion in his clear blue eyes - she couldn't help contrasting him against SeeWoo. Where SeeWoo's eyes were dark with hidden secrets and lies, Len's eyes were clear and bright...his gaze was open, like he didn't have anything to hide. She hid a blush. ''I...there's no need to trouble you,'' she managed to stammer out. ''I'll go by myself.''

''But...'' he said hesitantly. ''You look like you really need the help?'' he finally said, sounding rather unsure. His eyes met hers, before they flicked away, looking down at the floor. ''And anyway, the nurse's office isn't too far away from here,'' he added. ''It won't be too much of a hassle to take you there. It's not like I have anything else to do after lunch, anyway,'' he shrugged, seeming completely carefree.

Miku swallowed. She didn't even have an actual stomach-ache. But if she said that, then...Len would know that she was lying to him. ''Okay,'' she finally muttered, through it was rather unwillingly. Slowly, Len's lips curved up into a small smile, and again his arm slid across her shoulders, supporting her as they made their way to the nurse's office. She shook her head a little as they walked, trying not to think...

Trying to ignore a lingering, malignant thought, buzzing inside her head like a nest of wasps. _Why are you allowing someone else to touch you? You're a liar, a traitor...you're mine._


	9. Chapter 9

''Why am I stuck down here with you?''

SeeWoo eyed the God of the Underworld with hostile intent. He was holding on to a glass of amber liquid - nectar, the wine of the gods - while watching the god go through his usual godly duties. Hakuo was muttering something underneath his breath. SeeWoo couldn't hear what was being said, but he didn't think that he wanted to know. Hakuo sounded...unhappy.

''Kill him. And him. And...kill that one too,'' the god snapped at the guard next to his throne. The unfortunate spirit bowed and left, obviously quaking in his shoes. Hakuo sighed, tossing the binder in his hand down onto the floor. ''Why do my problems keep multiplying?'' Hakuo asked thin air. ''Like a bunch of mortal pests, really.''

''Why am I stuck down here with you?'' SeeWoo repeated, his tone far from amused. He didn't want to be in the Underworld. He wanted to be up in the mortal world. He had one month to do whatever it was he wanted to, and Hakuo was wasting his time by forcing him to be here.

''Because I need someone to suffer along with me,'' Hakuo groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes. ''I hate this job, I hate this life, I want to while all my time away in the mortal world, but no. I can't. I'm the God of the Underworld, and it is my responsibility to look after the realm I govern,'' the god's voice became pompous and overbearing. ''That is just so...annoying.''

''I am not a toy for you to make use of,'' SeeWoo growled, his fingers tightening around his glass of nectar. ''You gave me one month to settle my business in the mortal world. Taking me away from the human realm is cutting into my time! Are you doing all this on purpose, Hakuo?''

''Maybe...?'' the god tilted his head, his long, untied silver hair cascading down his back. He was lounging upon his throne, swinging his legs casually over the arm of the...seat. Made out of human bones. SeeWoo wasn't fond of that throne. He found it tacky, but there was no way he would ever say that out loud. He didn't want to die the second death at Hakuo's hands.

''Why would you do such a thing?'' SeeWoo said instead, tearing his eyes away from the skeletal throne the god was reclining upon. Hakuo's red eyes fixed unblinkingly upon SeeWoo, a light smirk slowly curving his lips. The god looked amused...and that was definitely a bad thing.

''Because...Miku Hatsune, that's the name of the girl who interests you, am I right?'' he replied, waiting for an answer. After a moment, SeeWoo nodded, though it was somewhat grudgingly. Hakuo smiled in response, that infuriating smirk becoming even more knowing. Hakuo was starting to frustrate SeeWoo, but he tried to keep himself calm. Anger had no purpose.

''She's quite...attractive, isn't she?'' Hakuo said slowly, his tongue flicking out to run against his lips. SeeWoo froze at those words, his eyes widening at the god. Hakuo saw the look on his face, and he laughed, raking his fingers through his silver hair. ''Oh, SeeWoo,'' he chuckled. ''I do have quite an eye for beauty, you know. It's so selfish of you. Keeping her all to yourself.''

''I...she's mine,'' SeeWoo's eyes narrowed. ''You didn't say anything about _you _interfering with my business, up on the mortal world,'' he said scathingly, setting the wine glass down. ''Are you going back on your word? If you interfere between Miku and I, you're breaking the deal I sealed with you. That makes it void, you know. And it leaves me free from the Underworld.''

''I know, I know...'' Hakuo waved his hand at him carelessly, a brief look of irritation crossing his face - a look so brief that SeeWoo almost missed it. Maybe he had imagined it? This was _Hakuo _- the most childish, most irresponsible, most fun-loving god amongst all the deities. He was never angry. He always grumbled about his workload, but he _never _was truly annoyed...

''If you know, can I go back to the surface now?'' SeeWoo asked, keeping his voice calm and carefully neutral. The god just closed his red eyes, placing his hands on his stomach - he leant his head back against the other arm of his throne, like he was preparing to take a nap.

''Do whatever you want, I don't care,'' the god mumbled. ''On your way out, tell the guards to find me some prisoners to flog. Preferably the old ones in Tartarus. I'm in a bad mood, and I need to take it out on someone now. Might as well be someone I have the right to kill,'' the god muttered, sounding faintly disgruntled.

''Yes, God of the Underworld,'' SeeWoo bowed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he made his way out of the throne room. Hakuo really was in an extraordinarily bad mood today - he usually didn't order so many whippings and executions in one day. The most he had ever ordered, if SeeWoo recalled correctly, was two hundred second deaths in one day. But now...

This was Hakuo's fifth round of prisoners. Each batch consisted of fifty unfortunate souls. The god took great personal delight in torturing every single one of them, before getting one of his guards - who doubled as palace servants - to finally kill the half-dead prisoner. This was one of the darker sides the god had. It was his favourite way to relieve stress, apparently.

SeeWoo wondered what stress the god was facing now. Other than his typical duties, which involved sorting out the souls of the dead and placing them in the correct regions - a job that Hakuo_ ought to be used to by now _- SeeWoo didn't think that the god had faced anything out of the ordinary, lately...well, other than that latest venture to the mortal world, naturally.

Hakuo had insisted on accompanying SeeWoo to the human world - _he really should be paying more attention to his work, though _- because he claimed that he was feeling bored, in the Underworld. And there, Hakuo ran into the girl SeeWoo wanted to murder and own...he ran into Miku Hatsune. Was that why Hakuo was acting this way now? Trying to _relieve stress._

That girl. SeeWoo gritted his teeth, raking his fingers through his thick, ash-blond hair. She was such a pest. Every boy who came across her fell to her charms...to think, even the God of the Underworld himself wanted her. How many other guys did SeeWoo have to fend off? There was already that Kagamine boy to contend with. Now, Hakuo was starting to get interested...

Damn it all. The girl was supposed to be his, and no one else's. Maybe he ought to give her a little reminder of sorts. She was getting too close to that Kagamine boy. SeeWoo didn't like it at all. He saw the way Len Kagamine looked at her, and he saw the way she stared back at him, the way her cheeks would turn a pale shade of rose whenever he smiled at her...

_That's not right. That's not fair. She was the cause of my death. I'll be the cause of hers. She is mine, and I'm not going to share. _SeeWoo drummed his fingers against his arm, looking around the palace of the God of the Underworld. He knew this place like the back of his hand, having spent so much time drifting around its premises while he was in his spectre form.

_You're a bad girl, aren't you, Miku? Attracting the attention of so many boys like that. And we all know...naughty girls deserve to be punished..._his lips tilted up into a smile, and he went off to search for the nearest guard to relay Hakuo's message. Once that was done, he would return to the mortal world. It was so annoying, having to retain his spectre form while he was back in the Underworld realm.

He missed having a physical body already. If Miku hadn't killed him, he wouldn't be without a body now, he knew...it was all her fault. All the pretty little tealette's fault. She knew it, and so did he. Since it was her fault, then he would have no choice but to...make her pay for that. It would be fun, he knew. So fun. Even if she didn't enjoy it, he would. _I'll make sure she likes it._

If she hadn't been such a naughty girl, SeeWoo wouldn't have to punish her. As it was, she had done wrong, and he would have to correct her. That was only the right thing to do, after all.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

''Miku...'' came the soft whisper. She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. _Oh no...he's here again. Even though he's alive now, he can still tamper with my dreams, it seems..._she didn't know where he was, and that scared her.

''You know,'' he continued, she still looking around in a futile attempt to find him, ''if you hadn't been so tempting in school today...'' he paused, making her freeze, ''you wouldn't have attracted so much male attention. I don't like it, you know,'' his voice hardened. ''I don't like it at all. You've been a very naughty girl, Miku.''

''I don't...I didn't!'' she protested, backing slowly into the fog around her. It was cold, so cold. She could feel the chill of the mist around, seeping past her thin nightdress, piercing her deep to the bone. ''I didn't do anything to attract the attention of anyone,'' she gasped out, rubbing her arms in an attempt to stave off the chill.

''The way you were wearing the school uniform, Miku,'' he sounded amused now. ''You really didn't notice? Your skirt was so short, and the shirt really knows how to cling on to your body, doesn't it?'' Miku's fingers clenched into fists. She hated this. He sounded like he was taunting her, and she wanted him to stop and leave her alone. That wasn't going to happen, though...

''There's nothing wrong with my uniform. I didn't do anything to alter the length of my skirt, and the shirt fits me perfectly. Whatever your problem is, don't blame it on the way I dress,'' she said fiercely. At least, she tried to sound as fierce as she could - it was all she could do to prevent her voice from shaking.

He chuckled. ''I never said it was wrong,'' he purred. ''In fact, what you're doing is right...a little too right,'' his voice hardened. ''If you're looking for me, you can't find me,'' she could hear the shrug in his tone. ''I'll appear to you when I feel like showing up. Till then, I'm no more than a voice in the wind...'' she felt a cool breath brush against the back of her neck.

She squeaked, whipping around. There was no one behind her. ''SeeWoo, stop playing around with me and just show yourself!'' she shouted out into the surrounding fog. There was no response to her words, and the mist continued rolling around her, shrouding her vision. It was thickening, and she couldn't even see in front of her anymore. She hated this. She hated him.

''You hate me, Miku? That's sad. It breaks my heart, you know,'' suddenly, she could hear a familiar whisper, snaking into her ear. She gasped, turning her head - she saw nothing but fog. Not even a shadow, nothing to indicate that there was someone else there. She swallowed. This was new. SeeWoo had never taunted her this way before. He usually just showed up, pushing her, hurting her, making her suffer.

He was hiding himself, hiding everything...he was driving her insane. She couldn't find him anywhere, and that was so...frustrating. Miku took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. The air here was so cold. Freezing cold. The tendrils of mist wrapped around her, caressing her body. It felt almost like fingers, but..._wait. Fingers?_

Her eyes flew open. There was SeeWoo, his hands sliding down her bare arm, causing her to shiver - and it wasn't from cold. She met his gaze, heart in her throat, wondering what he was going to do to her. His blue grey eyes were filled with wicked intent, as he leant down to her ear, his voice silky and intense - ''You need to be punished for being a naughty girl, Miku.''

''What -'' she gasped as SeeWoo gently tugged at her ear with his teeth, slowly forcing her backwards, trapping her against some hard surface. _The wall? But I don't see any walls here..._his tongue slid into her ear, making her whimper. _What's he doing to me? _His hands wrapped around her wrists, trapping her.

She couldn't see his eyes, but she could see his smile. He was smiling. ''I really...don't like to share,'' he murmured, his cool breath washing against her neck as he leant down, his lips brushing against her collarbone. ''I know you like that Kagamine boy. But you can't like him. He's not good for you. None of them are good for you, you know...other than me. I came back just for you, Miku,'' he sighed. ''Only for you.''

''You can't control me -'' she gasped again, as she felt him run his tongue down the length of her neck. Unbidden, her fingers curled into fists. _That...this feels...it feels good..._she didn't want to admit it, but she liked this feeling. She felt him nuzzle against her neck, and she tilted her head, her eyelids lowering. _Why am I...what is he doing to me? I feel so heady...strange..._

''You won't let me control you,'' he agreed. ''But I can try...and I won't lose,'' he smirked against her skin. ''You're mine in every way,'' he said softly, ''and no matter how hard you try to resist, you won't be able to escape from me...'' his hands ran down her hair, twining strands of her hair around his fingers. She swallowed. She wanted him to stop, yet at the same time...

_I want him to go on...he's just like a fantasy, a perfect fantasy of my creation. Is he the boy I know? Or is he still..._she felt his hand sliding down her arm, lingering around her waist, gliding down to her hips. Pausing before it went any lower. His lips caressed her neck, gently biting and sucking - she knew he left behind hickeys, and she was surprised to find that she didn't actually...mind. She didn't mind this.

''Don't ever change,'' came the quiet whisper, making her freeze. She looked down at him - she couldn't see his face, since he was nuzzling against her neck, but she felt his fingers tighten subtly around her wrist. His other hand was still at her upper thigh, picking lightly at the hem of her nightdress. ''Always mine. No matter what, you'll always be mine...my sweet Miku.''

She bit her lip. She didn't want to resist his claim, not when he was pressed up next to her like this. He had pulled down the collar of her nightdress, exposing her bare shoulder, and his fingers were now slowly inching up her thigh. Beneath her dress..._should I protest? _Her head lolled back, feeling the light pressure on her neck move down to her exposed shoulder.

''See...SeeWoo...'' she moaned, her free hand moving down to fist his hair. He smiled against her shoulder, his fingers tightening around her wrist so much, they crushed her. Her teal hair spilled across her shoulders, and he pushed the curtain of silk aside, exposing her to him. She was all his, at this moment. It was enough...almost enough to make him forget it all.

Forget that, not only did he want her, but he also wanted her death. He wanted both. Yet, right then, if he could keep having her this way, pliant and soft in his embrace...he ran his hand down her cheek, making her moan again.

He might forget everything else. So long as she remained here, in his arms, with him. It was too soon to think of revenge...too soon to think about dragging her to the Underworld with him. For now, he would have her - for now, her body would be enough to satisfy him. He would take everything she had to give. Then, when she could provide him nothing else...he would take more. Until she was nothing but a memory.

But he didn't want to take it all now. Not yet. Good things came to those who waited, wasn't that so? SeeWoo sighed, and reluctantly he pulled away from her. ''Another day,'' he said softly, noticing the way she trembled, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide. ''Another day, I'll make you mine, so that no one can ever take you away from me. But until then...'' he smiled, caressing her cheek. ''I won't touch you.''

Then he leant down, his lips brushing against her ear. ''Wake up,'' he whispered, sliding his fingers down her hair. Instantly, the tealette collapsed, her eyes closing as her body reacted to his command. When she was awake in her world, she was asleep in her dreams...SeeWoo smiled. He looked forward to the next night.

Miku shot awake, her heart racing in her chest. She couldn't breathe, the dream she just had still fresh in her mind. Slowly, tentatively, she reached up to touch her neck. Her shoulder. The flesh there felt a little tender, and it throbbed when she pressed the skin there. Her eyes widened. _No...wasn't it all just a dream?_

_He was there, being tempting...tempting me. He wasn't like how he usually was, in all my nightmares. He was...different. Alluring, he was seducing me, he was doing things to me, and I allowed him to do..._but it was all just a dream, wasn't it? And dreams...they weren't the same as reality. There was nothing wrong with giving in to her dreams. He was so much like a perfect fantasy. A perfect boy, just for her...

Why had he changed? She wondered about that. What made him so different tonight? _You're a naughty girl, and you need to be punished..._his words ran through her mind, and she shook her head sharply, determined to forget about that dream. _Don't be tricked by him. It was just this once, just this one dream. He's not like that in reality. He would never treat me that way._

She slid off her bed, going to her bathroom. Switching on the lights, she blinked the black spots away from her vision, her eyes adjusting to the sudden change in brightness. Then she looked at the mirror, studying her reflection. Her eyes stared at her neck, her shoulder, at the areas which felt so tender now...her lips parted. No. _It was a dream! It's impossible!_

Hickeys. Hickeys all over her neck and shoulder. Instantly, she whipped away from the mirror, her hand clamping over her mouth. What..._he really was there, he really did all those things to me, and I really stood there, just taking it all...enjoying it. Accepting him and his words without struggle. He claimed me, said that I was his, and...why didn't I say anything?_

Her eyes prickled. A single tear slid down her cheek, but she ignored it, her hand clasped against her neck. _What should I do now?_

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_**Solitaryloner: **__I really feel like such a pervert. It's like...I feel like I'm writing fanservice or something. For myself. SeeWoo is too sexy._

_Reviews, please? For sexy SeeWoo. What. What did I just say. Ignore me. Just...review for the story, please? This one needs more love~!_


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